CableCARD tuner support for MediaPortal 1 (7 Viewers)

[Lyfesaver74]

Happy new year everyone!

Long time no post, I know. I'm reviving this thread in the hopes that I'll get some testers for the attached patch.

In one sentence, the patch is a potential solution for slow CableCARD tuner detection.

TV Server configuration lists tuners that haven't yet been detected as type "unknown". When a CableCARD tuner is detected, it will be listed as type "ATSC".

In normal conditions, TV Server should detect all available CableCARD tuners within the first 10 seconds after starting up.

If you see TV Server:

• taking longer than 10 seconds to detect your tuners
• detecting only some of your tuners
• detecting, losing, then redetecting your tuners
• randomly stopping live TV or recordings... but TV works fine when you attempt to start it again

...then this patch might help you.

The patch is compatible with the previous CableCARD tuner patches for MP 1.3 and 1.4 as well as the baked in CableCARD tuner support in MP 1.5 and newer. It should continue to be compatible with future releases for the foreseeable future.

Installation instructions:

1. Open TV Server configuration.
2. Go to the "manual control" section.
3. Click "stop service".
4. Open Windows Explorer.
5. Navigate to the TV Server install directory - typically c:\Program Files (x86)\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server.
6. Take a backup of:
   • HttpServer.dll
     
   • MediaPortal.Utilities.dll
   • UPnP.dll
7. Download and extract the attached replacement DLLs into your TV Server install directory.
8. In TV Server configuration, click "start service".

Feedback welcome... both on the patch and any other CableCARD related issues you may have noticed over the last 3 months or so.

Best regards,
mm

MM, I am doing this today. FYI, everything has been moved over to a new server. Will send you new info.

 

[K7Raid]

I am using a HDHomerun Prime, I followed the instruction and the tuners went from; Type "Unknown" to ATSC as expected, but they are not populating in the drop down list under the server name. The only tuners listed are the QAM wrappers.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello K7Raid

Probably they'd appear if you re-opened TV Server configuration.
I recommend you install the patch from here:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...for-mediaportal-1.112585/page-63#post-1056643

It will help with tuner discovery and the related stuff like this.
If neither of those suggestions help, please post your log files as instructed in the first post.

mm

 

[K7Raid]

Thanks for the fast response, I actually needed to go back into the HDHomerun setup, disable the tuners, stop the service, re-enable the tuners, and start the service. Attempting a scan now

 

[Abjex]

Hello again, I am having trouble trying to get a Ceton Infinitv 6 ETH working with media portal, I can see the tuners and followed alot of instructions but just can't seem to get any channels scanned. I'm tired of using windows media center and really hope I can ditch it, except HBO & Showtime of course..

This is my main pc, I eventually plan on setting up a home server with a few extenders/htpc's, already have the parts just busy with work.
Intel i7-3770k, Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe, 16GB Ram, 2x256GB 840 pro (raid0), 4x1TB WD Black (raid5,Storage), EVGA Nvidia GTX 670 FTW, Ceton Infinitv 6 ETH.
I also have a ceton infinitv 4 pci-e, It's collecting dust since I could not get it to work over the network with windows 8 and a windows server 2012 box.
I would like to get it working in the future but for now, One will do.

I uploaded the logs, hopefully I grabbed them correctly.
Thanks in advance, And great job on getting cablecards working with media portal!

-John

 

[mm1352000]

Hello John

So the key things to a successful scan (as noted in the wiki and in the first post) are:

1. Set SDT/VCT timeout to at least 60 seconds... but better 120.
2. Scan "digital cable".

It looks like you're setup and scanning correctly at least at the end of your log files. What is missing are the channel information messages from the tuner.

From the log files I can see you have a Motorola CableCARD and it reports that it is locked on the OOB channel and has received 2 channel maps with 560 channels. So, I think the tuner and CableCARD are probably okay.

Questions:

1. Do you have a tuning adaptor?
2. Do you run any firewalls or security software?

Regards,
mm

 

[Abjex]

Hello MM, Thanks for the quick reply.
I was in the middle of writing a reply. "no tuning adapter etc." and had a "light bulb" moment when you mentioned firewall, I took a look at the advanced section of windows built in firewall and for some reason everything related to media portal was setup in the "Public Profile". I've seen this so many times that I cannot believe I missed it.
I scanned and It looks like there are 535 total channels, To be honest, I have no idea how many I'm supposed to get. Opened up media portal and it works, Still have to get media portal setup to how I like it, since I have been using media center for years (since xp mce 2005).
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction and sorry for the trouble, I guess I need to remind myself that this is a network device after all..

Is it possible to keep the tuners in windows media center and media portal if in media center no shows are marked for recording or would it be conflicting.

 

[mm1352000]

I was in the middle of writing a reply. "no tuning adapter etc." and had a "light bulb" moment when you mentioned firewall, I took a look at the advanced section of windows built in firewall and for some reason everything related to media portal was setup in the "Public Profile". I've seen this so many times that I cannot believe I missed it.
...
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction and sorry for the trouble, I guess I need to remind myself that this is a network device after all..

No worries! Glad you figured it out.

Is it possible to keep the tuners in windows media center and media portal if in media center no shows are marked for recording or would it be conflicting.

Yeah, absolutely.
In TV Server configuration, go to the "DVB EPG" section:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...figuration/TV-Server_Configuration/05_DVB_EPG

...and untick the idle and timeshifting EPG grabbers (they won't get you EPG anyway so this is actually recommended). That will mean that TV Server won't use the tuners unless you start timeshifting or recording. In the meantime WMC (or any other software) can happily continue to use the tuners.

I note that you can also configure tuner sharing:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...uration/TV-Server_Configuration/02_TV_Servers

Refer to the notes on the "enable" setting. Basically, if you were to untick three of the tuners then TV Server would only use the other three (so WMC and TV Server could actually timeshift/record at the same time... assuming they don't try to use the same tuner).

mm

 

[Abjex]

Okay, everything was working good, After reading a bunch of forum posts here I grabbed "XmlTv" and "mc2xml" (thanks, Lyfesaver, for that info)
I let it auto find as much as it could, but did not fix a bunch of channels. I have to admit, media center was a lot easier but the lack of customization in media center is why I'm here along with my problem of trying to record three to four shows at once in WMC, two of them stutter but it kind of varies, Sometimes I can record three and they are fine, It may just be that this is my main pc and I'm doing other things e.g. (browsing the web, watching tv shows in mpc-be and what not). But this PC is kinda fast, and it does not look like I'm using even half of it's potential.

So, I tried to record USA HD, just a single episode of criminal minds for testing purposes (to see if my recording problem is specific to WMC). The video was jerky.
Could watching a pre recorded TV show in MPC-BE cause recordings to stutter? Again, my cpu usage was very minimal along with ram, disk etc.
I don't reboot often, I do let my PC go to sleep but sometimes I don't reboot for months. So I rebooted because when trying to switch channels (USA HD to FX HD)
I got a black screen, waited a few minutes and nothing so I switched back to USA HD and it played for a few moments then kinda paused, so I gave up. After reboot, I opened media portal and it looked like the tuners were not available so I checked the ceton diagnostics and that was fine, in media portal tv config, the ceton tuners were missing, tho they works fine in WMC.

I must say, out of all the computer and electronic related stuff I have come in contact with, the ceton infinitv 4 pci-e & infinitv 6 eth really hate me or something!

Again, Thanks for the help. - John

BTW. This is how the tv config looks.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello again John

Easy problems first:

After reboot, I opened media portal and it looked like the tuners were not available so I checked the ceton diagnostics and that was fine, in media portal tv config, the ceton tuners were missing, tho they works fine in WMC.

Install the patch from here. It should solve the slow tuner detection problem nicely:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...for-mediaportal-1.112585/page-63#post-1056643

...along with my problem of trying to record three to four shows at once in WMC, two of them stutter but it kind of varies, Sometimes I can record three and they are fine, It may just be that this is my main pc and I'm doing other things e.g. (browsing the web, watching tv shows in mpc-be and what not). But this PC is kinda fast, and it does not look like I'm using even half of it's potential.

So, I tried to record USA HD, just a single episode of criminal minds for testing purposes (to see if my recording problem is specific to WMC). The video was jerky.

You need to isolate whether the problem is with playback or with the source.
To do that, first ensure you've configured codecs in MediaPortal:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...nfiguration/9_Codecs_and_Renderer/1_TV_Codecs

I recommend you install the LAV codecs (you can do that via the MP Extension Installer, link on your desktop or in the MP folder in the start menu) and set LAV for all options except audio renderer which should normally be default directsound device.

Then try playing live TV again. If you still experience a problem, switch MP to windowed mode (press alt+enter) and open the tuner web page, TV Server configuration and Windows task manager.
Start live TV in MediaPortal. It should be stuttering.
In TV Server configuration, go to the "manual control" section and select the channel that you're viewing in MP. You should now see the signal/strength quality readings from the tuner and the discontinuity count, similar to this:

If the discontinuity count is constantly increasing it means the problem is server side (ie. TV Server or tuner or related); if not, it is client side (ie. MediaPortal or playback related).

Assuming the problem is server side, view the signal statistics for the tuner on the tuner page in the web browser.
Please take a screenshot so we can see the signal level and SNR values.
Also, in task manager go to the performance tab and open the resource monitor - please take a screenshot so we can see the CPU and HDD utilisation levels and top programs using CPU/HDD.

Could watching a pre recorded TV show in MPC-BE cause recordings to stutter?

Seems unlikely, but there are a lot of variables.
It is far more likely that the recording has the stuttering recorded into it due to issues when the recording was recorded. As above: please follow the instructions above to determine whether you have a client or server side problem, and we can proceed from there.

So I rebooted because when trying to switch channels (USA HD to FX HD)
I got a black screen, waited a few minutes and nothing so I switched back to USA HD and it played for a few moments then kinda paused, so I gave up.

This is likely a codec problem. Configuring codecs is a critical setup/configuration step with MediaPortal. Please do the thing with LAV described above and it should solve this.

I must say, out of all the computer and electronic related stuff I have come in contact with, the ceton infinitv 4 pci-e & infinitv 6 eth really hate me or something!

Nah, we can sort this out.

mm